Non-leak cap for gasolene-tanks



J1. DOLEZAL.

NON-LEAK CAR FOR GASOLENE TANKS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-20.1919.

Patented May 31, 1921.

IN'YZVTOH.

' Atlfys.

JOHN DGLEZAL, O-F GUERNSEY, IOWA.

NON-LEAK CAP FOR GASOLENE-TANKS.

Application filed November 20, 1919 To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN DoLnznL, a citizen of the United States, and 'a resident of Guernsey, in the county of Poweshiek and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Non-Leak Cap for Gaso- In this connection, it should be explained that where fuel tanks are carried at the rear end of motor vehicles below the body, then it is necessary to pump the fuel from the tank up into the motor of the vehicle. In the past it has been customary to do this .pumping by diverting some of the power arising from the partial vacuum created within the engine cylinders to a vacuum device whereby the fuel in the tank may be raised in sufficient quantities above the engine.

As this system requires that the gasolene be taken out of the tank, it is necessary to leave a vent opening in the top 'of the tank to admit air to replace the fuel exhausted from the tank. It has been customary to form this vent by making a hole in the screw cap for the tank, but this has resulted in certain serious disadvantages. This arises from the fact that the jolting of the machine over rough roads causes gasolene or the fuel used to be splashed out through the opening in the cap, which is 'subject to serious objection for two reasons: The first of these is that the gasolene or other fuel may be thereby wasted in appreciable quantities; and the second that the gasolene -spreads over the adjacent portion of the tank, so that if there is any dust in the air adjacent to the cap, it will settle upon the moist portion of the tank and become unsightly; in fact I have discovered that after a comparatively short trip, a comparatively thick layer of greasy looking dirt will accumuto a point late aroundthe top of the tank around the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 3t, 1921.

Serial No. 339,457.

cap while the balance of the outer surfaces of the car body will have only an almost inappreciable coating of dust thereon.

rom the foregoing, it will be seen that 1t' 1s essential that a vent be provided'for the rearend fuel tanks, and also that serious disadvantages result from the use of the vents now in common use.

In view of the foregoing, it may be stated that the object of my invention is to provide a device, whereby the fuel may be wholly retained within the fuel tank, even though its contents be splashing around and yet a vent opening may be provided.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device, which may be used in conjunction with the caps now in use without altering their construction, whereby my devicemay be used without a large additional expense in the way of preparing the parts for its reception or in the substitution of new parts forthose furnished with the car.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claim and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a vertical, central, sec tional view through a fuel tank, having a filling opening therein with a closure cap having'my invention installed thereon.

Fig. 2 is a top or plan view. of my improved device removed from the cap.

Fig. 3 is a vertical, sectional View througl. the device illustrating one form of its construction; and

.Fig. 4 illustrates another form of its construction taken on the vertical, central. sectional liner 1 Referrin to the accompanying drawings, I have use the reference numeral 10 to 1ndicate generally a fuel tank having in its upper portion. a fillingopening, around whichis a collar 11. The interior upper portion'of the-'collarll is threaded at 12 to coact with similar-threads on the outside of a cap member 13.

The cap 13 has an opening 14 therein, adapted to form a vent to permit air to enter the tank, as the fuel is exhausted therefrom.

llhe parts just described are of ordinary construction and form no part of my invention, except in so far as they are combined with my invention to produce the results desired.

From the construction of the parts just described, it will be seen that if the tank 10 were located on the rear or' other por-' tion of a moving vehicle then the contents thereof, if they started to splash would splash up through the opening 14, whence they would: run down on to the exterior of the walls 10.

My invention consists in preventing the fuel from being so splashed through the opening 14, while at the same time permitting air to enter through this vent, so that the contents of the tank may be removed.

My invention consists in a disk 15 having an annular turned-up flange 16 at its outer edge, which is adapted to be secured in the recesses A, which occur in the caps 13 which are usually provided with the fuel tanks. The disk 15 is secured in the bottom of the recess A by running solder around the channel 17 formed between the bottom edge of the cap 13 and the turned-up flange 16.

vdescribed, it will be seen that when the fuel in the tank 10 splashes then it may splash up through the openings 18. As, however, the member 20 is disposed above the disk 15 and the openings 18, the fuel so forced upwardly through the openings will impinge against the disk 20 and fall back on the disk 15.

As soon as the fuel forcing itself against the disk 15 and consequently through the openings 18, settles back down into the tank 10, then thefuel, which has accumulated in the disk 15 will run back out through the openings 18 and down into the tank again. lit will therefore be seen that in order that the fuel escape through the vent opening 14, it will be necessary for enough fuel to be forced through the openings 18 to fill the entire recess A.

This I have found by experience, however, does not occur, and the recess .A does not so become filled during a considerable period of use of my improved device.

I have found it desirable through experiments With various forms of my improved device to in some incidents dish the member 20, and so arrange it that its edges are disposed below the edges of the disk 15, as is illustrated in Fig. 4.

'lhe disks 15 and 20 may be held spaced from each other, if desired, by the use of a sleeve 22 through which extends a rivet 24s,

as is shown in Fig. 4.

Where a tank is made with a flat upper surface, instead of being round in cross section, it will be seen that considerable splashing will occur against the disk 15, so that a considerable amount of liquid fuel may be forced upwardly through the openlugs 18 into the disk 15. in this situation, it is possible that sufficient fuel might be forced up into the disk 15, so that sufficient air would enter the tank through these openings, and the 'operation of the vacuum feeding system might be thereby impaired. To obviate this difficulty, I have shown the device, illustrated in Fig. 3, where the disk 15 is provided with alternate openings 18 and openings 25. The openings 18 are merely perforations through the material of the disk, while the openings 25 are formed by turning in and upwardly the material of the disk, when the opening is made thereby forming a collar 26, which extends upwardly from the surface of the disk 15.

if then the surface of the disk 15 be comes covered with liquid fuel, air may still enter the tank through the openings 25, as the collar-26 prevents the liquid fuel on the surface of the disk 15 from closing the openings.

The advantage of my invention will be readily appreciated from the description thereof, but it may be stated that it prevents: the unsightly accumulation of dirt,

. due to the moisture around the filling opening on the fuel tanks, thereby adding to the attractiveness of a vehicle without materially adding to its expense.

A further advantage resides in the placing of my spaced disks in the bottom of vent which permits air to enter the tank, so

that the contents thereof may be readily er;- hausted by a vacuum feed system.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my improved device without departing from the real purpose and spirit of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claim any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents, which may be reasonably included within its scope.

nseopes I claim as my invention? In a device of the class described adapted to be secured in the bottom of the recess in a cap for a fuel tank the cap being provided with a vent opening, a disk adapted to extend across the bottom of said recess having a plurality of openings therein, a second imperforate disk of lesser diameter than said first spaced above said first disk, the outer edge of said second disk being curved downwardly and spaced from the walls of said cap, a spacer collar interposed between the upper surface of the first disk and the lower surface of the second disk, and a rivet extended through said spacer collar and said disks for holding them in position, the parts being so arranged that ventilation will be permitted into the fuel tank but fuel will not be able to pass out through said vent opening.

Des Moines, Iowa, October 31, 1915 JOHN DOLEZAL. 

